Photo by Tom Watts
Al Bergler of Shelby Township will bring two custom cars to the Detroit AutoRama Friday through Sunday, including a dragster ìMore Aggravation,î top car in photo, and the Motor City Shaker, a 1973 custom Vega.

Al Bergler of Shelby Township has been working on race cars for over 50 years, but that just means the garage behind his home has been open longer to fanatics who want to talk fabrication and customization.

On Friday, Bergler and his garage friends and thousands of other custom car fans, will head down to Detroit Cobo Center for the annual Autorama that opens Friday and runs through Sunday.

Detroit Autorama is considered the largest and oldest show of customized cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles and hot rods in North America.

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Bergler, 76, who will open AutoRama at 11:30 a.m. Friday by driving his dragster “More Aggravation” up to the Cobo Center show window where it will greet patrons at the annual Autorama for the rest of the weekend.

“More Aggravation” – a customized dragster - won the first Ridler Award 50 years ago in 1964.

To commemorate the award’s anniversary, Autorama will feature “Ridler’s Row,” which will be made up of 26 of the past winners of the Ridler Award. The award was named after the first promoter of Autorama, Don Ridler, and is considered the calling card of the Detroit event.

But for Bergler – custom cars is the thing.

“Always out here in the garage - putzing around,” said Bergler, who continues to build and rebuild racing cars in his museum-like Shelby Township barn.

While thousands of customized cars will be available to view this week at Autorama, Bergler will actually bring two custom cars to the show: More Aggravation and Motor City Shaker.

Motor City Shaker is a 1973 Vega funny car.

“If you took body off it - it would look like a dragster, but put a 1934 Austin Bantam body on it and it makes it a competition coup,” said Bergler, who called it “pretty cool” to have 26 original winning Ridler Award cars on display this week.

“It’s the most prestigious award in the show car,” he said. “(But) for me to be still here kicking and still have the car.”

Bergler recalled dragsters and customized cars being popular when he was a kid growing up in the 50s.

“Cars were a big deal,” he said. “Now the young kids aren’t into it. Drag racing was growing in early days - the best years. I wouldn’t want to be a kid now - too much technology. They don’t get out and do stuff - texting all the time. I had grandkids into sports; at least they’re doing something.

“I’m just a little tech guy in high tech world,” Bergler said.

Organizers of this year’s Detroit Autorama said there will be over 1,000 exhibits of chopped, channeled, dumped and decked hot rods, custom cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles of the past and present.

Other top events to look for at Autorama this week includes: the Tribute to Batmobile featuring three generations of the Batmobile; and Gene Winfield’s Chop Shop will be on site with the legendary custom car builder signing autographs.

Another headline collection at this year’s show is WRIF’s Kid Rock Collection, featuring four legendary vehicles owned by Detroit’s Kid Rock.

Show hours are: Friday, March 8, noon to 10 p.m.; Saturday, March 9, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, March 10, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is $18 for adults and $5 for children 6 to 12 years old. Discount tickets are available at O’Reilly Auto parts. For more information, call (248) 373-1700 or visit www.autorama.com.